SMSL SU-8 Version 2 Balanced DAC

[MWC]

I hear what you mean about the noise when playing DSD64 via your XLR. It's almost like bad tape hiss.

 

[RainyMirror]

I hear what you mean about the noise when playing DSD64 via your XLR. It's almost like bad tape hiss.

Well, if I re-encode it to DSD512, the hiss disappears and it sounds normal.
So my theory stands that this thing is decoding one or two levels above what I'm sending to it.
I catched it displaying "DSD256" after playing DSD64, but I couldn't replicate it. And I've never played that format.

Edit: even in DSD512, there's distortion with the sound via XLR, like it had extra 10db applied to the source, not the volume.
I'm stuck with DSD512+RCA, which is giving me close to normal sound.

 

[MWC]

What happens to DSD on your system is really weird. You have eliminated everything else, by the sound of it, so it must be the DAC. Assuming you have been able to be sure it is not the XLR on your amp as Armin suggested. Have you been able to check the spec for the amp or use a different amp with XLR?

 

[RainyMirror]

What happens to DSD on your system is really weird. You have eliminated everything else, by the sound of it, so it must be the DAC. Assuming you have been able to be sure it is not the XLR on your amp as Armin suggested. Have you been able to check the spec for the amp or use a different amp with XLR?

I tried with a HifiBerry with XLR outputs, and didn't get the saturation/noises, but it doesn't do DSD.
I'm also getting a used DAC on saturday to definitively rule out the XLR input on my amp.
But even if it was the XLR input, why would it sound differently between DSD64 and DSD512? The amp doesn't know about digital formats...

 

[Bookingyo]

I just received my SU-8 today. I can confirm that I am also hearing the white noise when listening to DSD256. No problems with DSD64 . My SU-8 is connected via XLR to THX AAA 789.

I am also using Linux (Ubuntu 19.04) - Strawberry with Alsa

The display shows that it is being up-converted.

Strawberry is showing file has - Sample Rate 2822400 (Bitrate 5645)
SU-8 is showing 352.8k

 

[RainyMirror]

@Bookingyo which board and firmware versions?
mine is 1.2 and 1.6 respectively.

 

[Bookingyo]

@Bookingyo which board and firmware versions?
mine is 1.2 and 1.6 respectively.

V1.2 but I'm not sure how to check the firmware.

Thanks

 

[renaudrenaud]

Could be a software error?

 

[Bookingyo]

Could be a software error?

It could be. I am not sure if it's related to the version of Gstreamer . I'm currently using 1.15.90-1.

 

[RainyMirror]

@Bookingyo keep the button pressed before and during turning it on. It will factory reset and briefly show its firmware version.
For a clean test, I used a bootable usb with "wtfplay" and a DSD64 file. That way I discarded windows, drivers, software, etc.

 

[amirm]

Strawberry is showing file has - Sample Rate 2822400 (Bitrate 5645)
SU-8 is showing 352.8k

That looks like DSD to PCM conversion before the data reached the SU-8.

 

[Bookingyo]

@Bookingyo keep the button pressed before and during turning it on. It will factory reset and briefly show its firmware version.
For a clean test, I used a bootable usb with "wtfplay" and a DSD64 file. That way I discarded windows, drivers, software, etc.

I'm not sure which button you are referring to. I tried the power, C and the FN button but nothing happens.

I booted into wtfplay and had no issues playing DSD64 and DSD128.

Earlier I had mentioned that DSD256 was having issues but now I am not so sure it was DSD256. When I played it in wtfplay it showed up as DSD128.

 

[Bookingyo]

That looks like DSD to PCM conversion before the data reached the SU-8.

It could very well be the Strawberry music app and some other codec that is up converting the signal. I'll have to dig deeper and maybe try installing HQPLAYER.

 

[amirm]

I am confident that is the issue as the SU-8 has no ability to do DSD to PCM conversion and report it that way.

 

[MWC]

AFAIK Linux has always had issues playing DSD. Drivers/codecs are the problem. I hear solutions are imminent. However there are other non-open source ways to play DSD via Linux.

 

[Feyire]

Another symptom:
- when I bitstream DSD64, I hear "white noise" with the music in the background
- if I convert it to DSD512, it sounds normal

I've tried 3 different PCs and 2 OS. It's the same from XLR and RCA outputs.
I factory reset it, but that didn't help.
Is there another thing I can try out?

I hear what you mean about the noise when playing DSD64 via your XLR. It's almost like bad tape hiss.

I just played back DSD64, DSD128 and DSD256 on my SU-8 using Foobar on Windows with XLR outputs. I could not hear any white noise or hiss through my speakers.

I used the DSD test tracks from http://www.2l.no/hires/ , specifically the following track:

Britten: Frank Bridge Variations - Romance
TrondheimSolistene

Stereo DSD 64 2.8224Mbit/s
Stereo DSD 128 5.6448Mbit/s
Stereo DSD 256 11.2896Mbit/s

Can you try these tracks and report back at which point the hiss is most obvious?

Edit: There seems to a natural hiss at the end of this track, that I hear regardless of what output format I choose, even FLAC. Perhaps people can share a track here and a timestamp where the hiss is obvious to hear?

That looks like DSD to PCM conversion before the data reached the SU-8.

I agree, also, if the display of the SU-8 is not displaying "dsd64", "dsd128" or "dsd256" when you are playing the track, then you are not truly sending it DSD output, and something prior to the data reaching the DAC is converting it to something else.

 

[digititus]

Strawberry / DSD / Gstreamer is borked right now. Wait for an update

 

[Gyroscopics]

I'm glad I just use Volumio (for Hi-Res playback) running on cheap DIY Raspberry Pi 3B+. No audible hiss on any DSD resolution except intermittent fading with DSD1024 because neither my D50 nor my SMSL SU-8 supports it.

 

[RainyMirror]

@Feyire sadly the SU-8 is in its box right now waiting to be returned, so no more testing for me. Either way, the DSD64 noises appeared after a month (100 hours) of use, it wasn't out of the box. Luckily I should get some of my money back since it's been only 1.5 months.
I won't miss that awful loud noise it made when changing formats/bitrate, I can tell you that!

In my company we buy a lot of chinese electronics, and it's a lottery, on a order of 100 at least 5 would be either DOA or die along the way. I lost this lottery with the SU-8. I was confident on SMSL because I owned another product of them and never had any issues.

Now I'm shopping for an american or european DAC. It will be more expensive but it should last more.

And in the meantime, I'm appreciating my Raspberry Pi DAC like @Gyroscopics

 

[Feyire]

I won't miss that awful loud noise it made when changing formats/bitrate, I can tell you that!

Indeed, every time I hear that sharp pop/crackle, I also get annoyed and worried.

Another minor annoyance is that I can't have the display auto shut off, unless it's on the lightest brightness setting. Surely this could be fixed with a firmware update.

I'd also like the ability to not just see the sampling rate, but also the bit depth.